In the medical field, transmission of infectious agents and other contaminants is an ongoing concern. This issue has once again been pushed to the forefront with the incidence of nosocomial infections and antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
To address the spread of infectious diseases in health care settings, hospitals have adopted sets of guidelines and best practices. For example, hospitals have implemented a set of “Universal Precautions” published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) which includes precautions to minimize risk of infection with HIV by guarding against contact with blood and certain other bodily fluids known to carry HIV. Hospitals also have adopted “Body Substance Isolation,” which is the practice of isolating all bodily substances (e.g., blood, urine, feces, tears, etc.) of individuals undergoing medical treatment to reduce the chances of transmitting nosocomial infections. Body Substance Isolation is similar in nature to the Universal Precautions, but goes further in isolating other substances not currently known to carry HIV.
The Universal Precautions and Body Substance Isolation urge the use of non-porous protective covers such as gloves, masks, gowns, and protective eyewear to reduce the risk of exposure to potentially infectious material. Further, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) requires health care workers to wear gloves when they come in contact with patients. These precautions are predominantly effective in protecting against the spread of infectious agents from the patient-to-health care worker and from health care worker-to-patient. In addition, health care workers are required to dispose of medical gloves and to dispose of or sterilize instruments in between patients in order to address patient-to-patient transfer of infections agents.
Health care workers use different types of medical gloves for different purposes. Medical gloves are classified as either examination gloves, which are typically used during non-sterile medical examinations of body surfaces and orifices, or surgical gloves, which are used in a sterile surgical environment. Medical gloves generally require greater feel and dexterity than non-medical gloves because they are used in precise and delicate medical procedures, and therefore have thinner walls than standard rubber gloves and are offered with more precise sizing.
However, despite these precautions, it has been found that health care workers are the primary cause for patient-to-patient transmission of nosocomial and antibiotic-resistant infections. The use of stethoscopes, in particular, is one area that has not been adequately addressed.
Typically, health care workers use personal or non-dedicated stethoscopes to examine each of their patients. Stethoscopes are used to assess heart rate and breathing, during which time the stethoscope head comes in direct contact with a patient's skin. Health care workers also make contact the patient's skin with their gloves during an examination, and then their gloves come in contact various portions of the stethoscope.
Hospitals recommend sterilization of the entire stethoscope in between each patient examination, for example, by wiping off the entire stethoscopes with a 70% alcohol solution. However, this practice is not followed with great enough frequency in between each patient, and it is rare that the entire stethoscope is adequately sterilized.
As an alternative to sterilization, many different types of protective stethoscope covers and shields have been developed to prevent the stethoscope from coming into direct contact with patients. However, all of these protective stethoscope covers and shields have failed to gain acceptance for one reason or another, most often due to the additional effort required for application and removal, a lack of time, or simply general inconvenience.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,368 to Plourde discloses a diaphragm shaped cover that is applied to the face of the stethoscope head. Plourde type covers are custom made to fit the shape of a particular stethoscope head. Because stethoscope heads come in a variety of designs and sizes, it would not be practical to stock the many different versions of the Plourde type cover that would be required to fit the variety of stethoscopes used by healthcare workers in a hospital.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,023 to Lawton discloses an elastomeric disk shaped cover applied over the face of the stethoscope head. Lawton type covers are more versatile and easier to apply than the Plourde type covers because they can be applied to a variety of types of stethoscopes. However, the health care worker is still required to spend additional time and effort when applying the cover, thereby causing additional inconvenience.
Stethoscope protective covers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,046 to Turner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,314 to Kendall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,751 to Weckerle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,957 to Milam, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,568 to Kemper, involve the application of a loose fitting bag over the stethoscope head. These covers may also be more versatile and easier to apply than Plourde type covers, but the bags do not offer a good fit around the stethoscope head. The loose fit may interfere with the sound transmitted to the stethoscope and may be uncomfortable against the patient's skin. Furthermore, the health care worker is still required to spend additional time and effort when applying the cover, thereby causing additional inconvenience.
Therefore, there is a need for stethoscope protection that is effective, versatile, easy to apply, and convenient so that it will be used more frequently by health care workers.